Hao Nao Iu Savve Keepim Balance Tingting Long Selen?

Wei for lovem selen and for wantem tumas material samting hem no niu samting from Bible storyim olketa samting hia tu. Olketa samting olsem old fogud. Long Law Bilong Moses, God talem olketa Israelite: “Iu mas no wantem haos bilong neiba . . . or eni samting wea hem bilong neiba bilong iu.”—Exodus 20:17.

PLANTI long taem bilong Jesus lovem selen and olketa material samting. Tingim disfala report abaotem story midolwan Jesus and wanfala man wea “rich tumas.” “Jesus sei long hem: ‘Iu still short long wanfala samting yet: Sellim evri samting bilong iu and givim go long olketa poor pipol, and iu bae kasem rich samting long heven; and kam followim mi.’ Taem hem herem diswan, hem barava feel nogud from hem rich tumas.”—Luke 18:18-23.

Stretfala Tingting Long Selen

Bat, hem bae no stret for sei Bible hem againstim selen seleva or olketa samting wea iumi kasem witim selen. Bible showimaot hao selen savve protectim pipol againstim wei for kamap poor tumas and olketa trabol wea join witim datwan, mekem pipol savve kasem samting wea olketa needim. King Solomon hem raet: “Wisdom hem for protectim iumi olsem selen hem for protectim iumi tu.” And: “Bred hem for mekem olketa wakman laflaf, and wine seleva mekem laef hapi; bat selen savve kasem evri samting.”—Ecclesiastes 7:12; 10:19.

God appruvim stretfala wei for iusim selen. Olsem example, Jesus hem sei: “Mekem olketa fren for iufala thru long olketa richfala samting wea no raeteous.” (Luke 16:9) Insaed diswan hem wei for givim donation for mekem tru worship bilong Jehovah go ahed, from iumi shud wantem God olsem Fren bilong iumi. Solomon seleva followim example bilong dadi bilong hem, David, and donatem staka selen and riches for buildim temple bilong Jehovah. Wanfala nara komand for olketa Christian hem for givim material help long olketa wea garem need. Aposol Paul hem sei: “Helpem olketa holy wan taem olketa needim samting.” And tu hem sei: “Followim wei for showimaot welkam.” (Romans 12:13) Planti taem diswan minim wei for spendem samfala selen. Bat, waswe long fasin for lovem selen?

‘Wei for Laekem Silver’

Paul storyim “fasin for lovem selen”—or, “laekem silver”—taem hem raet go long Christian Timothy. Kaonsel bilong Paul stap long 1 Timothy 6:6-19. Hem storyim “fasin for lovem selen” olsem part bilong story bilong hem abaotem material samting. From wei wea community distaem mekhae long selen, hem gud for iumi lukluk long toktok bilong Paul wea God nao muvim hem for raetem. Kaen wei for lukluk olsem mas gud from hem helpem iumi for faendem secret bilong hao for “hol strong long datfala really laef.”

Paul givim warning: “Fasin for lovem selen hem start bilong planti nogud samting, and from samfala trae for kasem datfala love olketa lusim faith finis and givim planti pain long olketa seleva.” (1 Timothy 6:10) Scripture hia or eni nara scripture no sei selen seleva hem wicked. And aposol tu no sei selen hem main reason for olketa “nogud samting” or selen hem main samting wea kosim evri problem. Bat, fasin for lovem selen savve kosim—nomata samfala nara samting maet kosim tu—planti difren “nogud samting.”

Gard Againstim Greedy Fasin

Nomata olketa Scripture no tok againstim selen seleva, diswan shud no mekem iumi ting smol long warning bilong Paul. Olketa Christian wea start for lovem selen isi for kasem enikaen difren problem, wea worse wan nao hem for isisi lusim faith. Dastawe Paul sei long olketa Christian long Colossae: “So, killim dae olketa part bilong body bilong iufala long earth long saed bilong . . . wei for wantem nogud samting, and fasin for kavet, wea hem fasin for worshipim idol.” (Colossians 3:5) Hao nao fasin for kavet, greedy fasin, or “fasin for lovem selen” savve kamap wei for worshipim idol? Waswe, diswan minim hem rong for wantem haos wea moa big, wanfala niu trak, or waka wea kasem bigfala pei? Nomoa, olketa samting olsem olraet nomoa. Problem hem olsem: Wanem nao muvim heart bilong man for laekem samting olsem, and waswe, hem barava needim?

For markem stretfala wei for laekem samting witim greedy fasin iumi savve tingim wanfala smol fire for kuki and wanfala bigfala fire wea bonem bush. Gudfala and stret feeling for wantem samting savve duim gud samting. Hem muvim iumi for waka and kasem planti samting. Proverbs 16:26 hem sei: “Soul bilong man wea waka hard hem waka hard for hem, bikos mouth bilong hem pusim hem hard.” Bat greedy fasin hem danger and savve spoelem man. Hem wanfala feeling wea lus kontrol.

Hao iumi kontrolem selen nao main kwestin. Waswe, bae selen wea iumi hipimap or olketa material samting kamap slave bilong iumi, or bae iumi nao kamap slave bilong selen? Dastawe Paul hem sei wanfala “greedy man . . . minim man wea worshipim idol.” (Ephesians 5:5) For garem greedy fasin for samting hem minim iumi letem hem bossim iumi—hem olsem hem kamap masta bilong iumi, god bilong iumi, samting wea iumi servem. Long narasaed, God sei: “Iu mas no garem eni narafala god front long mi.”—Exodus 20:3.

Sapos iumi greedy hem showimaot tu hao iumi no trustim hao God bae keepim promis bilong hem for provaedem olketa samting wea iumi needim. (Matthew 6:33) So, greedy fasin minim man hem tanawe from God. Long disfala wei tu, hem “wei for worshipim idol.” Dastawe Paul givim kliafala warning for againstim diswan!

Jesus tu givim warning wea tok stret againstim greedy fasin. Hem komandim iumi for gard againstim wei for wantem samting wea iumi no garem: “Keepim eye bilong iufala open and gard againstim evrikaen fasin for kavet, bikos nomata sapos wanfala man garem planti samting laef bilong hem no kam from olketa samting wea hem garem.” (Luke 12:15) For fitim toktok hia and tokpiksa wea Jesus talem bihaen, greedy fasin hem kam from disfala krangge tingting hao samting wea hem important long laef hem haomas samting nao samwan garem. Maet hem selen, position, paoa, or samting olsem. Iumi savve greedy for eni samting wea iumi savve kasem. Maet iumi ting hao sapos iumi garem datfala samting iumi bae satisfae. Bat for fitim wanem Bible and savve bilong man showimaot, God nomoa savve—and bae—satisfaem olketa need bilong iumi, olsem Jesus storyim witim olketa follower.—Luke 12:22-31.

World bilong iumi distaem hem interest tumas for baem and sellim olketa material samting, wea diswan savve mekem grow feeling bilong greedy fasin. Isisi long strongfala wei wea no showaot klia tumas, planti pipol gogo biliv hao nomata wanem olketa garem hem no inaf. Olketa needim moa samting, and samting moa big, and moabeta. Nomata iumi no savve changem world, hao nao iumiseleva savve againstim diskaen wei?

Wei for Satisfae Feisim Greedy Fasin

Paul showimaot samting wea difren long greedy fasin, hem nao wei for satisfae. Hem sei: “So, sapos iumi garem kaikai and kaleko, iumi mas satisfae witim olketa samting hia.” (1 Timothy 6:8) Disfala wei for talem evri samting wea iumi needim olsem—“kaikai and kaleko”—maet hem here olsem simpol tumas. Planti pipol lukim olketa television program wea showim hao olketa pipol wea garem bignem stap long olketa haos wea naes fogud. Bat diswan no wei for kasem wei for satisfae.

Diswan no minim olketa servant bilong God mas mekem olketa seleva for garem poor living. (Proverbs 30:8, 9) Bat, Paul remindim iumi long really mining bilong poor living: no inaf kaikai, kaleko, and haos fitim ples wea man stap. Bat long narasaed, sapos iumi garem olketa samting hia, iumi garem faondeson bilong wei for satisfae.

Waswe, Paul tok serious taem hem talem evri samting wea man needim for satisfae? Waswe, man fit for satisfae witim olketa simpol samting nomoa—kaikai, kaleko, and haos? Paul shud savve. Hemseleva kasem riches and gud samting bilong hae position long Jew community and citizen bilong Rome. (Acts 22:28; 23:6; Philippians 3:5) Paul kasem tu hard taem long missionary waka wea hem duim. (2 Corinthians 11:23-28) From evri samting hia, hem lanem wanfala secret wea helpem hem for keepim wei for satisfae. Wanem nao datwan?

“Mi Lanem Secret”

Paul minim long wanfala leta bilong hem: “Mi savve hao nao for short long samting, mi savve hao nao for garem planti. Long evri samting and long evri wei mi lanem secret long hao nao for fulap and hao nao for hangre, hao nao for garem planti samting and hao nao for garem need.” (Philippians 4:12) Hem here olsem Paul hem man wea barava sure and tingim gud saed! Hem bae isi for iumi tingse laef bilong hem gud tumas taem hem raetem toktok hia, bat nomoa nao. Hem stap long prison long Rome!—Philippians 1:12-14.

Sapos iumi tingim datwan, hem minim disfala toktok storyim wei for satisfae no long material samting nomoa bat saed long living tu. Wei for rich tumas or poor tumas or garem gud living or nogud living savve mekem hem hard for iumi garem olketa stretfala goal. Paul storyim olketa spiritual samting wea mekem hem fit for satisfae nomata hem short long material samting: “Long evri samting mi kasem strong from [God] wea givim paoa long mi.” (Philippians 4:13) Winim wei for depend long olketa material samting, wea planti or no planti, or long living bilong hem, wea gud or nogud, Paul luk go long God for satisfaem olketa need bilong hem. Samting wea kamaot from datwan hem wei for satisfae.

Example bilong Paul hem barava important long Timothy. Datfala aposol muvim young man hia for aftarem living wea putim fasin for lovem God and klos wei for fren witim hem firstaem long riches. Paul hem sei: “Bat iu, O man bilong God, ranawe from olketa samting hia. Bat aftarem raeteous fasin, fasin for lovem God, faith, love, fasin for stand strong, kwaet fasin.” (1 Timothy 6:11) Maet toktok hia hem for Timothy, bat hem fitim eniwan wea laek for honorim God and for garem barava hapi laef.

Timothy need for keakea long greedy fasin olsem eni nara Christian. Luk olsem, samfala rich brata stap long kongregeson long Ephesus, ples wea hem stap taem Paul raet go long hem. (1 Timothy 1:3) Paul hem kam long disfala taon wea go ahed gud saed long selen for talemaot gud nius bilong Christ, and hem mekem planti niu disaepol. Maet samfala rich pipol tu insaed, olsem long Christian kongregeson distaem.

So, kwestin hem olsem, especially for fitim teaching wea stap long 1 Timothy 6:6-10: Wanem nao pipol wea rich lelebet shud duim sapos olketa laek for honorim God? Paul talem hao first samting, olketa shud lukluk long tingting bilong olketa. Selen savve mekem man garem feeling for depend long hemseleva. Paul hem sei: “Givim order long olketa wea rich long disfala system for no praod, and for putim hope bilong olketa, no long riches wea bae finis, bat long God, wea givim iumi evri samting for mekem iumi hapi.” (1 Timothy 6:17) Pipol wea rich need for lane for luk go winim selen bilong olketa, olketa need for luk long God, wea hem nao start bilong evri riches.

Bat tingting hem part long ansa nomoa. Gogo, olketa rich Christian need for iusim selen long gudfala wei. Paul talem olsem: ‘Duim gudfala samting, kamap rich long olketa gudfala waka, no hol bak, redy for share.’—1 Timothy 6:18.

“Datfala Really Laef”

Main point bilong kaonsel bilong Paul hem for remindim iumi long hao important nao olketa material samting. Word bilong God hem sei: “Olketa gud samting bilong rich man nao strongfala taon bilong hem, and long tingting bilong hem olketa olsem wall wea protectim hem.” (Proverbs 18:11) Yes, sef living wea selen savve provaedem hem mekap samting nomoa and savve giamanim man. Hem no stret for mekem olketa samting hia olsem main samting long laef bilong iumi winim wei for kasem wei wea God hapi long iumi.

Wei wea iumi no savve trustim selen mekem hem danger tumas for depend long hem for hope bilong iumi. Trufala hope mas anka long samting wea strongfala, garem mining, and stap for olowe. Christian hope hem anka long Creator, Jehovah God, and promis bilong hem for laef olowe. Nomata hem tru hao selen no savve baem wei for hapi, hem moa tru hao selen no savve baem wei for sev. Faith long God nomoa savve givim iumi kaen hope olsem.

So nomata iumi rich or poor, letem iumi aftarem living wea bae mekem iumi “rich long saed bilong God.” (Luke 12:21) No eniting hem moa important winim wei wea Creator appruvim iumi. Evri hard waka for keepim diswan hem help for ‘hipimap for iumiseleva gudfala faondeson for future, mekem iumi savve hol strong long datfala really laef.’—1 Timothy 6:19.

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Paul lanem secret bilong wei for satisfae

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Iumi savve hapi and satisfae witim wanem iumi garem